Pekin duck owner....questions

[Sonya]

I have a pair of Pekin ducks that were given to me about a year ago. My female is an awesome layer and I get an egg a day for most of the year...she took off a few months this winter. I currently have 6 of her eggs in the incubator, but noticed the other day that she had made a nice nest in a quiet corner of the chicken coop and has been laying her eggs in the same place everyday. I stopped collecting them to see if she starts to sit on them and she has collected 11 eggs now and has a nice formed nest going in there.....

Question is....do Pekins get broody and set their eggs? Am I just being optimistic in hoping she will start sitting on them? I would love to see her hatch out her own babies.

Another question...my male has decided that he's the "rooster" of the chicken coop and run. I don't currently have a rooster with my hens and this duck runs the girls around like he owns the place. One poor hen hardly is able to get down off the roost or nest boxes because he will chase her relentlessly, grabbing the back of her neck and acting like he wants to mate with her....it's insane. It's only that one hen too.

I love my Aflac ducks....can't wait to have some babies from them...one more week left in the incubator and there are 5 of the 6 eggs with swimming babies in them and one of those 5 was from a refrigerated egg!

Sonya

 

[crazy cat lady]

I suppose it could be possible she goes broody. My female pekin never has. She just lays her eggs wherever and goes off to something else.

 

[Sonya]

That's usually what mine does too...I'll find her eggs in various places in the coop, but I put some pine shavings in a dog cage I had sitting in the coop, and left the door open and she immediately went in there and has claimed it as her nest..now she lays her eggs only in the nest she has created.

Sonya

 

[mekasmom]

Pekins rarely go broody, but nothing is impossible. The broodyness has all be been bred out of them in favor of meat production.

 

[Cajunsamoan]

My 5 Pekins have laid in the same shared nest every day for a year. I was really hopeful that one would go broody but no luck so far. I have seen others on here with broody Pekins so maybe she will. Good luck.